sailor

American  

[say-ler] / ˈseɪ lər /

noun

• sailors
  plural

1. a person whose occupation is sailing or navigation; mariner.

   Synonyms:

   seafarer

   Antonyms:

   landlubber

2. a seaman below the rank of officer.

3. a naval enlistee.

4. a person adept at sailing, especially with reference to freedom from seasickness.

   He was such a bad sailor that he always traveled to Europe by plane.

5. a flat-brimmed straw hat with a low, flat crown.

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sailor British  

/ ˈseɪlə /

noun

1. any member of a ship's crew, esp one below the rank of officer

2. a person who sails, esp with reference to the likelihood of his becoming seasick

   a good sailor

3. short for sailor hat sailor suit

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Synonym Usage

Sailor, mariner, salt, seaman, tar are terms for a person who leads a seafaring life. A sailor or seaman is one whose occupation is on board a ship at sea, especially a member of a ship's crew below the rank of petty officer: a sailor before the mast; an able-bodied seaman. Mariner is a term now found only in certain technical expressions: master mariner (captain in merchant service); mariner's compass (ordinary compass as used on ships); formerly used much as “sailor” or “seafaring man,” now the word seems elevated or quaint: Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Salt and tar are informal terms for old and experienced sailors: an old salt; a jolly tar.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsailor
  noun
• sailorlike
  adjective
• sailorly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sailors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sailor

First recorded in 1540–50; earlier sailer; see sail, -or ²

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Explanation

A sailor is someone who works on a boat or ship — either for fun, a job, or while serving in the navy. If you want to be a sailor, it's good to start by learning to swim. If you work on a cargo ship or help to pilot a schooner in the summer, you can call yourself a sailor. You're also a sailor if you learn how to sail a small boat around a lake. Even though the boats that sailors work on don't necessarily have sails, that's where the word comes from — the verb sail. Before sailor was coined in the 15th century, people used mariner and seaman.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sailor sailors

The Metro headlines with "not 100% faithful", writing that a Royal Navy sailor has appeared in court after "allegedly plotting to pass British secrets to Russia".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Patricia Harmon, an Army veteran who was awaiting the return of her sailor son, said she imagined that life aboard the ship had been hard.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Zero lost aircraft, zero combat damage, zero lives lost. Every single sailor and Marine that left on this deployment is going home.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

He said one sailor went overboard from a ship in early August, then was soon recovered by an air wing search-and-rescue helicopter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

A merchant marine officer named Frank Worsley, a part-Maori New Zealander who had been a sailor since the age of sixteen, was to captain the ship.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

A total of 21 sailors are still missing after the attacks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

San Diego resident Annabelle Loma told the Military Times in August that her husband was among the sailors who attempted to jump overboard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

"What the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group did, no other carrier strike group has ever done," Hegseth told sailors.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

It felt like betrayal on the high seas—one that 16 sailors haven’t forgotten.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The docks had been packed with sailors from all over the world, lugging crates and barrels and shouting out in languages he’d never heard before.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

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Related Words

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